About two weeks ago, FedEx was added as a shipper on our new website. Since then there has been a succession of shipping reps eMailing, calling, and dropping by unannounced. We like these folks a lot, but man! I am getting worn out with the effort to settle FedEx and UPS into a friendly and closely competititive existance. There is something in the cart program which just does not allow easy installation of shippers and their set-ups.
Thankfully, we have a new WebFolk who specialize in installing this particular cart (X-Cart), and they are smart and work quickly. I have hope.
My purpose with this post today is to let readers know that there are madly fluctuating prices floating around our website, and that it will soon be fixed. Here's an example: today a customer placed a large order, and wrote a note in the comments section wondering if the rate she picked could be real. There was a difference of more than $50 between FedEx and UPS. See what we are dealing with here?
Yesterday I spent two hours on the phone while a tech rep at one of those companies had remote control of the orders computer. He just couldn't get the installation right, and after two hours, he was ready to start the procedure all over again. I said, 'No.' Two hours is long enough for me to sit and watch over technical screens flying by, and I felt like pulling my hair and gnashing my teeth. I was doing the Silent Scream.
Today a different rep came by -- he just left, actually -- and while he is just hte nicest young man, he was unable to solve the problem. That company says that I may have had another logon name in the past with them, some six or seven years ago, and it may be interferring. The trick is that there is no record of another login associated with my account number, so how, I ask, did this idea get any merit? Oh, I just ask that inside my head and do not dare to bring it up because it sounds so ... well, obvious.
I am beginning to tune them all out. So, I have posted a message on the home page of my website saying that we're havng problems setting up the shippers rates just now and apologize hugely. We've written to the new WebFolk who seem to be the only ones in this game who come up with fresh ideas. I am probably going to be charged tons for these weeks of fluctuating website prices, and cringe at the thought of those invoices. But, I am stuck. I must wait the process out, let all the players do their best to get the right answers in the right places so that I can go back to thinking about wool.
I just want to think about wool.
